The Little Things
by apenchantforhappiness
Summary: AU where Eren and Mikasa are married and nothing hurts (too much). Genre: Romance/Family/Humor Pairing: Eren/Mikasa, Armin/Annie, Sasha/Connie
1. Chapter 1

The Little Things

**AU where Eren and Mikasa are married and nothing hurts ****too much.**

**Pairing: Eren/Mikasa, Armin/Annie, Sasha/Connie**

**Rating: T (for some swearing)**

**Thanks to foamiee for helping me edit this and I hope you enjoy! (And please let me know if there are any grammatical errors, I suck at catching them!)**

**Snk does not belong to me!**

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Eren grumbled quietly to himself as he looked at the next step on the instruction manual.

_Step 4, _he read, _To attach the spring frame, carefully place spring frame in the crib so it rests on the stabilizer bars._

As he reached for the said item, he gritted his teeth and tried to keep from losing his temper again. Even though he had already told her _four times_ that he could manage building the crib by himself, he could feel Mikasa's anxious gaze on him.

His mind flashed back to an hour earlier. He had finally gotten to setting up their baby's new bed and had only been working for ten minutes when Mikasa walked in the room.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Why aren't you resting?" he asked back, ignoring her question.

"I got hungry…I can help," she offered, walking over to him.

Immediately Eren yelled, "STOP!" and furiously pointed a screwdriver at her, "You're in no condition to put a crib together! Now go back to bed."

Mikasa's eye twitched involuntarily. These days Eren was always telling her to lie down and not do anything. At first his concern pleased her, but it soon grew frustrating.

"I wonder if this is why he's always complaining about me…" Mikasa thought.

But she soon decided she didn't care. Annoyed, she made her way over to their rocking chair, sat down and gave her him a noticeable stare. For the next hour, Eren went about working while Mikasa kept trying to stare him down into guilt.

He sighed, and continued piecing the bed together when she again asked, "Are you sure you don't need my help Eren?"

"No, Mikasa," he groaned.

"…Are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm. Sure," he griped, enunciating each word.

A few seconds passed, "…I cou-"

"GODDAMMIT MIKASA, YOU'RE EIGHT MONTHS PREGNANT! I'M NOT FUCKING LETTING YOU PUT THIS CRIB TOGETHER!" he screamed, finally cracking.

He turned to her, eyes blazing, and pointed his finger at her swollen belly. "You're due in a few weeks and you can't be messing around with stuff like this! Now stop freaking bothering me about it!"

Mikasa bit her lip and looked to the floor. She was long used to Eren's dislike of her overprotectiveness, but that was a part of her she could never change. For the many years that they had known each other, looking after him had become second nature to her; even after they had found out she was pregnant seven months ago.

"Sorry," she replied curtly, glaring silently at nothing in particular.

Eren bit down a groan at her sudden change of attitude. Mikasa, who had been stoic and caring for as long as he knew her, had developed a surprising and new range of emotions alongside her pregnancy. One moment they would both be fine, and the next Eren would somehow upset her and she would treat him to a cold shoulder and snarky comments.

He had been surprised at first by her newfound crankiness, even to the point where he was sometimes left standing speechless and blinking at her sudden irritation. Eren was, embarrassingly so, used to being the one who got annoyed and snappish over little things.

He sighed and soundlessly shuffled over to the rocking chair she was sitting in. He brushed his fingers through her bangs and pushed them back off her forehead. They stayed like that for a few minutes, with him idly playing with her hair as she gave in and slowly leaned into his touch. Mikasa enjoyed quiet moments like these best, and this was Eren's way of getting her to calm down, or say sorry.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked quietly.

"Sure," Eren whispered, pressing a finger to her nose, "but go to bed right after."

"You too," she said, "You have work in the morning."

"Yeah yeah yeah," he grumbled, helping her onto her feet.

She took his hand and pressed a fast kiss into his palm before slowly trudging out of the room. Eren turned to the unfinished crib and bit his tongue. Not that he'd ever admit, but putting the dammed thing together proved to be more challenging than he expected. But he figured Mikasa didn't need to know that.

Three hours later, an exhausted Eren crawled into bed and silently thanked God that his wife was deeply asleep.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

It was a lazy December evening a few weeks later, and as usual, they both were watching some mindless action movie that Eren had picked out. _Advancing Giants_ was what he called it. Mikasa had read the summary and it was apparently about a dystopian Earth where humanity fought against giant monsters called 'titans'.

A typical Eren movie.

She sighed sleepily at all the tedious explosions and gore as she pressed her back further against Eren's chest.

"I'm bored," she mentioned.

"Again? What the hell Mikasa?" he groaned, "How on earth are you bored? There's a huge fight scene on right now!"

"There's always a fight scene."

"Well those are better than those goddamn confusing movies you always want to watch."

"It's not my fault you can't understand them."

Eren glared down at her, "Are you trying to pick a fight?"

Mikasa turned her head towards him and _actually _looked like she considered it, before smiling softly. "Nope, I'm good," she said and she leaned up and pressed a soft kiss into the side of his nose.

Instantly his cheeks warmed and looked away, feeling guilty for snapping at her once again. "…We can watch what you want next time," he mumbled.

She poked at his cheek, chuckling, and settled back against his chest. But after a few moments she started shifting around a bit

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I think I need to use the bathroom," she said, sitting up.

Slowly Eren helped her onto her feet, and she waddled off to their bathroom. He grinned as he watched her taking gradual and awkward steps. There was something charming about the ever poised Mikasa, moving about like a penguin.

"I told you to stop staring at me like that!" she called out, from the hallway.

"But it's so cute!" he yelled back.

He snickered to himself as he sat back down on the couch, and thought he heard a groan come from her direction. Within a few seconds, he was already engrossed back into the movie, so he didn't notice when five, ten, and then fifteen minutes passed with him still alone. It was nearing twenty, when Mikasa's voice called out his name, calm and loud.

"Yeah?" he asked back.

"We need to go to the hospital."

"What?!" he screamed, falling face first onto the floor.

"Yeah," she replied, ever so unruffled, "I think my water just broke."

In the bathroom, Mikasa sat peacefully, as she waited for Eren. She grinned as she heard sounds of him rushing, cursing, and bumping into something which ultimately led to more cursing. By the time he made his way to her, he was limping and had wide panicked eyes.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" she teased, her face showing no emotion.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

As usual, Mikasa was the calm one in the situation while Eren, more or less, freaked out. Their entire car ride and the first two hours in the hospital, she had been fine. Passive and relaxed, she lay in her bed as she told Eren to quit pacing around and calm down.

Armin had walked into the all too familiar scene of Eren yelling, "Don't treat me like a goddamn kid!" and sweat-dropped.

"E-Eren. Mikasa," he greeted, as they both looked towards him.

"Armin," Mikasa smiled at her childhood friend, as her husband made his way over and slapped said friend on the back. "Left Annie and the boys at home, I see," he said.

Armin grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, "Yeah…she had my phone when Mikasa texted that the baby was coming and told me to go to the hospital as fast as possible. She said she'll be here tomorrow."

"I'm glad you could come," Mikasa said.

"Of course I'd be here. You both were with Annie and I when we had out triplets."

"Man was I surprised," Eren added, "Not only did you guys keep the genders a secret, but the number too! I was speechless when they pulled Gregor out after Kurt, and even Mikasa gasped when Axel came out last." To this day, he remembers watching her dark hooded eyes widen in complete shock.

Mikasa clicked her tongue, "From what I remember Armin took having three kids better than you just having one."

"Oi…" Eren warned.

"Let's not fight during a time like this," Armin said nervously, "Mikasa doesn't need any extra stress and I think looks Eren fine."

"Before you came, he kept walking around and rambling and his hands wouldn't stop shaking," she said. Eren scowled at her and she gave him an indifferent look back. But to her surprise, he backed down without saying anything, and simply sat down in a chair to brood.

Armin sighed at the glooming Eren as he walked over to go sit by him. The three spent a few minutes idly chatting with themselves, when the door burst open and voice cried out, "Mikasaaaaaa!"

The soon to be mother watched, mildly surprised, as her long time, food obsessed friend from college ran up to her and wrapped her in a large bear hug.

"Sasha…" she whispered, dazedly.

"Annie texted me that you were having the baby! But Connie and I were in the middle of dinner, so we had to finish that of course. But never fear," she paused to take a breath, "we stopped for doughnuts!"

On cue, a rather tired looking Connie walked in with six boxes of dessert in his arms. Sasha made her way over to him, eyes shining and mouth watering, as she took three of the boxes out of his hands. "Share the rest with everyone" she whispered, placing a peck his temple.

"Yo Eren, Armin, Mikasa," he said, greeting all three at once, "Sorry for springing up on you guys out of nowhere, but that one," he pointed over to the corner where his girlfriend sat, already tearing into her second box of doughnuts, "wouldn't stop yelling about seeing Mikasa give birth and getting something to eat."

"It's obvious she only came just so she could have an excuse to buy food," Eren said, rolling his eyes. Sasha froze at the accusation, while Mikasa and Armin grinned, but when Connie wholeheartedly agreed, she gasped.

"Why are you always like this when we're with other people, Connie?" she cried, running up to him and grabbing his shoulders. Tears sprung in her eyes and she began shaking his shoulders.

"At home, you're so sweet! You feed me and you cook and you buy me yummy food, but when we go out all you even do is complain like I'm some brat you're forced to take care of!"

"Oi, Sasha! You need to c-"

"IS THAT HOW YOU SEE ME? AS SOME BRAT?"

"N-No! Obviously not! If I didn't like you why w-"

"SO YOU'RE SAYING YOU DON'T LIKE ME?" she cried, a few tears actually pouring down her face.

Armin cautiously made his way over to defuse the situation, but stopped in his tracks when a loud and sharp gasp came from Mikasa. Four wide pairs of eyes turned over to her, as she began shifting and groaning.

Armin looked over to her, "M-Mikasa?"

"Is she alright?" Connie whispered over to Sasha.

Sasha ignored her boyfriend and looked at her pregnant friend, "…Do you want a doughnut?"

"Can someone get a goddamn doctor?" Eren yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Bull-fucking-shit," Jean growled angrily into his phone.

"I'm serious Jean!" Sasha whispered, trying not to freak out, "I saw it with my own two eyes. Eren and Armin did too!"

"Tch…Tell me what happened one more time then."

Sasha took a deep breath and reiterated her tale. "So me, Connie, and Armin are here with Mikasa and Eren just waiting and then Mikasa starts having some pains or whatever, so Armin gets a doctor. He checks her down there," Jean choked on his coffee, "and is all like 'The baby's ready to come out!' So then all the nurses start running around and Connie freaks out and leaves the room and he tries to make me go, but I ask Mikasa and she says that I-"

"Get to the point," Jean interrupted.

Sasha smiled as she continued, "So anyway, Mikasa's there having her baby like a trooper. Like she wasn't even yelling or moaning; just holding Eren's hand. That guy, on the other hand, was a mess. He kept shaking and I was wondering if he was gonna cry or piss his pants first. Anyway the baby's head is out and the doctor's getting Mikasa to push the shoulders out. And, oh my God Jean, she was amazing. When the shoulders are out, she lets go of Eren's hand, reaches over _and pulls the freaking thing out herself!_"

"She pulled out her own baby? That's what you want me to believe?" Jean asked.

"It's true!" Sasha complained, "Ask Eren when you visit…If he can talk about it. Poor guy looked mortified as she yanked the thing out. They had to shake him and say his name like five times before he snapped out of it. After he cut the cord, I hightailed out of there to tell Connie. You should have seen his face Jean! It was hilarious!"

"I bet it was," he replied, though the thought of a horrorstruck Eren and Connie both made him smile.

Sasha heard Jean shuffle around a bit before a voice in the background asked him, "Who're you on the phone with?"

"Nothing, just potato girl. I was just hanging up on her n-"

"HEY!" Sasha cut in.

Jean hung up anyways.

Sasha pouted at the phone in her hands, "He should have let me tell Marco too…" she grumbled.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Eren glanced back at Mikasa secretly, before turning his gaze back to the sink. He was washing their dishes while she nursed their daughter on the couch. Silently he glimpsed back at her and now he was _sure_, that something was off.

She had been fine, overjoyed, even moved to tears after the delivery. That night had been full of cheers, crying, and relief over their seven and half pound daughter, Karlee. But after the two had left the hospital and had more time to look at and admire their baby, Mikasa had grown a bit somber.

It was not too different from her usual expressionless face, but Eren could make out the tiny furrow in her brows and slight pull of a frown. It wasn't like Mikasa to stay upset over things, but when he tried asking her what was the matter, she simply shook her head and said, "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"_Fine my ass,_" Eren thought, as he watched her look somewhat sadly at their daughter. He made his way over to them and pulled at his wife's cheek.

"What the heck's wrong with you now, Mikasa?" he asked. She frowned at him, and if the mood weren't so heavy, he would have laughed at how ridiculous she looked, scowling up at him with one of her cheeks stretched out.

"Nothing, I'm-"

"Cut the bullshit and tell me what's wrong!"

"…You shouldn't curse in front of your baby."

"It's not like she can understand me!"

"That's what an irresponsible parent would say, Eren."

He groaned in defeat and slumped into the cushion next to her. Surprisingly though, she began to chuckle and he felt more confident about the whole situation. He lifted the tiny baby out of her arms, and cradled the now snoozing bundle into his chest.

"She's gonna be toughest kid ever," he said, "I can feel it."

Mikasa sighed, already used to hearing Eren going on about how "strong and cool" their daughter would be, and how she would play all the sports she could and beat up anyone who picked on her. Mikasa made a mental note to make sure she stopped Eren if he ever actually encouraged their daughter to fight.

But whenever he looked at their daughter, his eyes shined and he went on and on about her future and Mikasa would wonder if he knew. She secretly hoped that he wouldn't notice, but as their daughter grew and became more of a woman, the resemblance would soon become more blatant.

Mikasa looked at Eren's face, and back to her daughter's. The similarity was spot on.

"She looks like you…" she whispered.

"Yup!" Eren said proudly, "Just like her good old daddy."

From dark brown hair, thick eyebrows and slanted eyes, the baby looked like Eren to a tee. The only difference was the dark gray eyes that she had inherited from her mother. Normally, that should have made Mikasa happy, but it pulled at her heart since it made the baby look more like_that person…_ Again, she was frowning and so lost in thought, that she didn't notice Eren's finger when he flicked her forehead.

"What wrong, Mikasa?" he asked again, sounding unusually firm.

Deciding to give in, she looked him in the eyes as she said, "She looks just like you."

"…And?"

Mikasa dropped her gaze to the floor, "And you…you look…"

She heard Eren scoff, and she quickly snapped her head towards him.

"Is that what's been bothering you?" he asked.

"…You noticed?"

"Obviously! Just what do you take me for, an idiot? And before you give me some smartass answer, yes, I did notice. I could tell the moment they cleaned her up and put her in your arms."

Mikasa's eyes widened. Even she hadn't realized at that point, "You didn't say anything though…"

A sad, wistful smile appeared on Eren's face as he turned his gaze up at the roof, "What's there to say? That she looks-"

Mikasa bit her lip.

"-exactly like Mom?"

Ah, so he really did notice after all.

Silently, she shifted closer to him, so that their hips and knees were touching, and rested her head on his shoulder. His fingers found their way into her hair and he murmured, "We should visit her one of these days with Karlee."

"It's still cold outside. We'll need to buy her a thicker jacket."

"I'll find her one after work tomorrow."

"Send me a picture before you buy it."

"Why? You don't trust my taste in baby's clothing?"

"Eren, you tried buying her a leopard print stroller."

"Tch…" Eren glared to the side, "You'll never give me a break, will you?"

Mikasa smiled and flicked his forehead back, "Nope."

She took Karlee out of his arms and walked off to put her to sleep and Eren smiled.

"You wouldn't be my Mikasa if you ever did,"he thought.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

**I'm 80% sure I'll write a sequel to this.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm happy that so many of you liked it that I decided to write more! ^^**

**Chapter was split up into two parts because of how long it was and I'll edit and upload the rest in a few days.**

**Reviews are much appreciated. **

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"If you keep scowling like that, your face will get stuck that way, Eren,"

"Shut up," he growled, "How can you just sit there and let our daughter be pushed around like that?"

Mikasa rolled her eyes, "She's fine; you're just overreacting. Again."

Eren turned his head away from his wife and looked on in anger at the children playing across the living room. Armin had invited him, Mikasa, and their now four year old daughter, Karlee, for dinner and his three sons had been excited to play with their little cousin.

The problem was that their definition of playing with Karlee involved pulling at her pigtails, pushing her around and telling her that since she was the girl, she _had_ to stay home and watch the children when they played house. The youngest Yeager didn't put up with it though, and smacked, kicked and fought with the boys back.

Eren scowled at the sight and was about to yell out to Karlee and tell her to push Gregor back when Mikasa pinched his bicep.

"Ow!" he hissed, "That fucking hurt, Mikasa!"

"Stop glaring at six year old boys."

"Then tell those six year old brats to leave Karlee alone!"

"I already told you she's fine Eren," Mikasa sighed, "Back when I was seven and lived with my mom and dad, there were these older boys who used to pick on me too."

"So what? You just ignored them?" he asked.

Mikasa looked away, "Well no…One day I snapped, kicked them all and pushed them into a stream…"

Eren he didn't know whether to feel proud or horrified.

"They could swim!" she quickly added in, "But later that day, their mother told my mom what I did and my mom scolded me. Ever since that day, I've learnt not to give into my anger."

"So why won't you let me stop those kids from messing with Karlee?" he grouched, "What if, unlike you, she 'gives into her anger'."

"…She won't," Mikasa said firmly.

As the two continued to bicker on the sofa, Armin sweat-dropped and decided to pretend that he couldn't hear them. He looked worriedly at the children playing, but not because of Karlee, but for his sons instead. Eren and Mikasa hadn't seemed to notice yet, but their daughter had inherited the strongest traits from each parent. With her mother's brute strength and her father's burning temper, he knew the little girl would prove to be more than a handful.

He walked over to Annie, who was silently doing the dishes, and whispered to her, "I think we should break up the kids before things get out of hand."

Annie turned towards her husband, eyes cold and said, "They're fine. No son in my family would ever seriously lay his hand on a woman." And with that, she turned back and continued washing the dishes.

Armin was about to clarify what he meant when a sharp yell came from the parlor. He quickly ran out of the kitchen and, to his horror, came across Karlee holding Kurt in an impressive camel clutch.

Mikasa and Annie ran towards the two children, as Armin gaped and Eren obnoxiously cheered from the sofa.

"So much for not giving into anger huh?" he called out.

Mikasa decided to dismiss that and easily peeled her daughter's hand off of Kurt's face, "You can't attack people like that Karlee!"

"But he kept shoving me, Mommy!" the little girl cried.

"From now on you can't watch wrestling with Daddy anymore," Mikasa said darkly. The four year old began whining, while Eren also started voicing his complaints.

Armin exhaled and watched as Annie calmly picked up their now teary eyed son and strictly said, "No man in this family is going to be humiliated by a four year old girl. I'll start bringing you and your brothers to the dojo with me to train."

"That's right!" Eren called out, "I need to have Karlee start train-"

"NO." Mikasa snapped her voice dark and eyes fearsome.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Eren was lying on the couch when heard the sounds of footsteps running across the floor upstairs, "Don't wanna!" a voice cried.

"Karlee…" Mikasa sighed, "It's time to go to bed. Now come put your nightg-"

"NO!" the toddler screamed, before running off in another direction. He heard Mikasa groan before chasing after their stubborn toddler and smiled.

Every night after dinner, Mikasa would give their daughter a bath and try to get her dressed and ready for bed. But it always ended up with the four year old running out of the bathroom, screaming about how she wasn't tired yet, and Mikasa running after her.

"Need some help?" Eren called out.

"No!" Mikasa yelled, much like her daughter just did. For some reason that surprised everyone, Karlee had grown to constantly disobey her mother. From throwing fits, running away, and always screeching, "NO!" at the top of her lungs, the little girl didn't hold back when it came to giving her mom headaches.

Truthfully, though Eren found the entire situation hilarious, he did feel bad for his wife sometimes and tried to help, but Mikasa was determined to set her daughter straight by herself.

He watched idly, as the naked child ran down the stairs and leaped under the coffee table. Immediately a very irate Mikasa came running down the stairs as well.

"Where is she?"

Eren silently pointed at the table.

When Mikasa began taking loud, angry steps toward the table, Karlee screeched and dove out of reach, into her father's arms.

"Help daddy!" she said, trying to hide behind his back, "Mommy's gonna get me!"

"Well that's because, you," Eren pinched her tiny nose, "need to go to bed."

The little girl pouted and shook her head, "But I'm not tiiiiiired!"

"You will be once you lie down."

"No I won't!"

"Yes you will. I promise."

She seemed to consider this for a moment and held out her small pinky, "Promise daddy?"

Eren hooked his wide and rough finger against his daughter's and whispered, "Promise."

That seemed to do the trick because Karlee jumped off his lap and skipped towards her mother, "I'm ready to go to bed now!"

Mikasa frowned down at her, "Don't run around after your bath anymore," she chided. A second passed before she firmly added, "Understand."

The little girl nodded and grabbed onto her mother's hand. Mikasa walked them both up the stairs and, a few minutes later, came trudging back into the living room. Eren stood up, opened his arms towards her and shot her a smirk. She glared at him but still made her way over and slumped herself in his hug.

"I thought it got easier after the 'terrible twos'" she murmured.

Eren laughed softly, "It's because you're always so strict."

"Children need guidance," Mikasa said firmly.

"Children need to have some fun," Eren countered.

"I don't understand why she always listens to you though," she grumbled.

Eren moved his head back and looked her in the eye, "It's because I'm the best dad in the world," he said, grinning. Mikasa rolled her eyes and peeled herself from him.

"Don't you feel proud," she muttered.

She made her way to the bedroom and pretended not to see the cocky thumbs up her husband shot her way.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"I'll think about it," Eren murmured into his cellphone.

"Think about it?" Jean bit out condescendingly, "Think about what? Whether the missus is going to give you permission to go?"

Eren felt a vein pop in his forehead, "It's because I need to make sure I have time this weekend, jackass!"

"Sure…" Jean whispered.

"It's true! And it's not like I need Mikasa's permission to go out!" Eren yelled.

They both know that wasn't entirely true.

"Whatever," Jean sighed, "I need to make dinner before Marco gets home. Anyway him, Connie, Reiner, Bert and even Armin are going dirt bike riding this Saturday. So be there or be square, Yeager."

Eren's eye twitched. "First of all, that phrase hasn't been a thing for like seven years. Secondly, you can bet your ass I'm joining you guys this Saturday. And finally, have fun cooking dinner for you boyfriend."

He heard Jean's embarrassed sputters and ended the call proudly.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"No," Mikasa said.

"All the guys are going to be there! And there'll be helmets! I'll be fine, Mikasa!"

"No," she repeated firmly.

Eren groaned and ran his hand through his hair. He didn't expect her to say yes right away, but even after ten minutes of his pleading, she still wouldn't budge. After cooking dinner and spending half an hour chasing and trying to convince Karlee to go to bed, Eren thought Mikasa would be too tired to argue. But her face looked determined and Eren felt his annoyance growing.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Things like dirt bike riding are dangerous. You can crash and break your neck. Do you want to break you neck, Eren?" She began to get in his face. "Do you want die and leave me and your daughter all alone? Have you grown tired of your family life? Is that it?"

Eren leaned back as Mikasa's face began to loom into his. Despite the firm expression on her face, her dark eyes looked panicked.

He grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eye, "Calm down, Mikasa. I'm not going to die over something as stupid dirt biking."

"You don't know that," she said, her voice uncharacteristically breaking.

Unconsciously her mind revisited that rainy night, seventeen years ago. Waking up to the sounds of shouting and struggling, diving under her bed as strange men walked in and ransacked her room, and the warm hands of the policeman who found and lifted her from where she was hiding the next morning. Mikasa had spent three months in foster care, before a man, a doctor that had visited her family before, had walked in from the door.

The sensation of a hand running through her hair brought Mikasa out of her grim memories.

"Promise me you won't get hurt," she whispered.

"I'm not a kid," he grumbled, kissing her forehead. He took her hand and wrapped his pinky around hers before smiling cheekily, "But I promise."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Karlee come back here!"

"Not until I see Daddy!"

"I told you," Mikasa groaned, "Daddy went to go ride bikes with his friends."

The four year old rounded the corner as her mother chased after her. "When did she get so fast?" Mikasa thought. Suddenly, all of Eren's musings at how his daughter was going to be a top athlete seemed realistic.

But soon enough Mikasa had trapped the little girl into a corner. Wordlessly, she picked her up and started walking towards the bedroom as the child still whined.

"I want daddy!"

"Daddy isn't home, Karlee."

"When will he be back?"

Mikasa walked into Karlee's bedroom and set the girl into her bed. "Daddy will be back," she said, slipping a nightgown over her daughter's head, "while you're still asleep." She was so busy tucking the toddler in and worrying if Eren was alright, that it took her three full seconds to notice when Karlee had yelled "Goddammit!"

Mikasa froze.

Slowly she turned her head toward her daughter, only to find the little girl looking up at her innocently.

"Karlee," she questioned, "Where did you learn that word?" She had a sinking feeling she knew the answer though.

The little girl sat up and happily yelled, "Daddy-"

_Of course._

"-says it all the time!"

Mikasa buried her face in her hands and didn't come out for several minutes. It was only when her daughter started tugging at her sleeve and asking what was wrong, that she looked up.

"Don't say that anymore," Mikasa said stringently.

"But Daddy does," the four year old countered.

"That's because Daddy's a big person. If a little girl like you says that, a monster will come to her room and eat her," Mikasa said ominously.

The toddler's eyes widened and began to tear up, "Really?! Is a monster going to eat me, Mommy?!"

Mikasa smiled and hugged her daughter, "No. He only comes if a kid says it more than once."

The little girl's eye watered even more, "But Mommy I already said it before."

"WHAT?" Mikasa yelled, "WHEN?"

"Yesterday, when Daddy took me out for ice cream. When we were driving, we got stuck in this looooooong line, and Daddy yelled it, and then I said it too and then Daddy told me not to say it in front of…oh…" Karlee's eyes widened when she realized her blunder.

Mikasa fought down the urge to break something and tucked Karlee back into bed again. "It's okay. Just don't say it anymore and the monster won't come."

"Promise?"

Mikasa kissed her daughter's hair, "I promise."

"Okay!" the four year old replied, happily.

Mikasa stood up, switched the nightlight on, and walked by the doorframe before pausing.

"Karlee?"

"Yes Mommy?"

"The next time Daddy tells you to keep a secret from Mommy, don't listen to him and tell me anyway."

"…Won't Daddy get mad?"

"He won't," Mikasa said darkly.

"Oh, okay…Then one time we were playing wrestling and he bumped into something and it fell on the floor and broke. He cleaned it up and told me not to tell you," the child added.

Mikasa's grip cracked the doorframe, "What did he break?"

"Um, a tall and skinny pot. It was red and all shiny."

"_Our fifty dollar vase…"_ Mikasa realized, veins popping in her head.

"Goodnight…sweetheart," she called out tightly.

"Goodnight Mommy!" Karlee replied back, happily.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the rest. I hope you enjoy and reviews are much appreciated (they motivate me to write more!)**

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Ouch…" Eren muttered, as he walked up his driveway. His lip was bleeding, hair disheveled, bruises forming all over his torso and back as he limped up to his front door. He wanted nothing more than to collapse on his bed and fall into a sleep, but he knew that if he didn't clean himself up before Mikasa saw him, there would be _hell_ to pay.

He opened the door and had only taken two steps when he heard a gasp. "Fuck…she's awake," he thought.

"Eren!" Mikasa cried, rushing over to him, "What happened?"

He let her lead him over the couch before answering, "Jean and I got into a little accident…"

She rolled her eyes angrily and went to the cabinets to find the first aid kit. Eren stiffly sat on the couch as he waited for the inevitable. She came back and kneeled in front of him, examining his wounds.

"I told you dirt biking was dangerous."

Eren groaned, "Give me a break."

"I did when I let you go on this stupid trip and look what happened."

He scratched his head and looked away, "It was actually going pretty well. We were all taking turns and messing around on the track. But it was all safe, I promise."

Mikasa peeled of his shirt and winced at the six of seven bruises across his chest, "If it was so safe, then how did _this,_" she pointed to his bloody lip, "happen?"

"Before we were about to leave, Jean asked Connie to race him and won. Then he kept fucking gloating so much that I decided to shut him up…But somehow we ended up crashing into each other and WAIT MIKASA! DON'T PUT A FREAKING BARBIE BAND-AID ON ME!"

Mikasa clicked her tongue, she had hoped that he wouldn't notice as he was explaining the story, "We ran out of the regular kind and Karlee's are the only ones we have left, Eren. If you're that upset, then buy some normal ones later."

Eren angrily ripped the bandage off but Mikasa caught his wrist in a painful and viselike grip.

"You need to wear a band-aid so that your wound can heal, Eren," she said dangerously. She squeezed his wrist until he winced, before adding, "You can't let your wounds get infected."

He gulped at her frightening and unexpected disposition before hanging his head in defeat.

"Fine," he grumbled.

Mikasa went about wiping, bandaging, and cleaning his wounds with alcohol while ignoring Eren's complaints about how much the stuff stung. When he yelled, "Dammit!" she remembered her conversation with Karlee earlier. Reflexively, her grip on Eren's shoulder tightened and she thought she heard something crack.

"Ow!" he cried, "What the hell was that for?"

"Goddammit," Mikasa said blankly.

"What?"

"Goddammit," Mikasa repeated.

Eren was so _confused._

He then realized that he had never heard Mikasa curse before and had no idea what brought about the sudden change, "Umm… am I missing something?"

Mikasa cocked her head to the side, "Guess who said that to me today, Eren?"

It took him nearly ten seconds to realize, but Mikasa had to give him credit to for how mortified his face looked when it dawned on him. Guiltily, he cast his eyes to the floor.

"I thought I told you to stop cursing in front of her."

"…I know…"

"What if she said that in front of company?"

"I know…"

"You really need to learn to control that mouth of yours."

"I-"

"I swear to God, Eren, if you say 'I know' one more time, I **will** to hit you."

Silence stretched in the room as both occupants stared each other down. A minute passed before Mikasa sighed tiredly, "Just promise me you'll try to censor yourself around her?"

Eren bowed his head, "I promise."

Mikasa stood up and in once clean swoop, lifted Eren into her arms, bridal style. Immediately he began sputtering and kicking and couldn't help smiling to herself.

"Put me down, Mikasa!" he shouted.

"You were limping earlier. You need to rest your le-"

"I DON'T FUCKING CARE! PUT ME DOWN!" he screamed.

Mikasa kneed him roughly, before climbing up the stairs, "Stop yelling. You're going to wake Karlee up."

"Then. Put. Me. Down!" he hissed.

Mikasa ignored his request and kept walking, "This is your punishment."

"I already apologized!" he groaned.

"Did you, now?" Mikasa asked teasingly.

"This isn't funny Mikasa. I'm serious. Put me-"

"Eren, for some reason I couldn't find one of our red vases today..."

She smirked inwardly as Eren decided to finally shut up and accept his position.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The heavy downpour of rain and lighting was loud enough to keep Eren awake in bed for the last two hours. It had been storming since dusk, and didn't look like it would let up anytime soon.

Languidly, he turned his eyes over to Mikasa and watched her sleeping form. It was a habit he picked up when they both shared a bed as children, and after they both began sharing a bed again several years later, he instantly reverted back to it.

Ever since the night they first shared the same bed, seventeen long years ago, Eren was still sure he hated that way Mikasa slept. She would lie there, still as corpse, not even moving to make the tiniest breath and that would always make an irrational part of him panic. To this very day, he would sometimes shake her awake in the middle of night, just to make sure she was still breathing.

A particularly sharp boom of thunder made Eren jump and everything in the room seemed to rattle and shift but Mikasa laid there, unmoving and silent. Heart pounding, he quickly placed a grip on his wife's shoulders and began shaking her.

It took nearly two minutes before Mikasa was roused from her slumber and sleepily she looked Eren in the eye. He didn't say anything, though his face looked concerned.

"Is something…wrong?" she drawled out sleepily, though she was quite used to Eren randomly waking her up at night.

He shook his head and ran his hand down her arm, brushing against her elbow, before coming to a stop at her palm. Slowly she interlaced their fingers and was again asleep in a few seconds.

"Would it kill you not look dead while sleep?" Eren muttered quietly, though he knew she couldn't hear him.

The rain continued to fall harshly and Eren found himself slowly drifting into sleep when his ears picked up on a strange thumping sound. When he realized the sound of small knuckles rapping against the door, he heard a soft cry come the hallway.

He sat up and rushed over to the door, opening it. In the darkness, he made out Karlee's squatting form as she whimpered into her hands. Tenderly, he lifted her into his arm and closed the bedroom door behind them.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" he whispered, cradling her in his arms.

She shook her head and buried her face into the crook of his neck, "The rain sc-scared me…"

Eren smiled and gently rubbed his daughter's hair. Even though the toddler loved watching wrestling, fought boys six inches taller than her, and gave even her mother a hard time, she was still a little girl at heart; one who was apparently afraid of thunderstorms.

"Why don't you sleep with Mommy and Daddy tonight?" he asked, making his way to the bed.

"Okay…" she pouted.

He carried her over to the king sized bed and gently placed her under the covers before crawling in after her.

"Go to sleep, okay?" he said, "It's too late for you to be up."

"Okay…is Mommy alright?"

"Of course, why?"

"She's not moving…"

"Yeah…Mommy sleeps a dead lady."

"A dead lady?!" the four year old cried, panicked.

"No no no! She's not dead! She…she's just really tired after watching over you all day, so she gets really sleepy at nighttime."

That seemed to satisfy Karlee as she curled against her mother and studied her face before commenting, "Mommy's eyelashes are really long…"

"Yeah…they are…" Eren agreed sleepily.

The little girl sensed her father's drowsiness, "Goodnight Daddy…"

"G'night sweetheart…"

Several hours later, Mikasa woke up to the sight of her daughter drooling onto her chest while her tiny legs kicked into her father's stomach and couldn't help but smiled confusedly.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Eren watched as his wife scowled at Annie, who glared right back at her.

"She eats dinner at seven and is in bed by eight," Mikasa said roughly.

"I've raised three kids already. I know how it's done," Annie replied, equally as cold.

"You raised three boys. _She _is a girl."

"I could tell."

Eren could see Mikasa's fists shaking and hooked his arm in hers before calling out, "We're heading out Armin! We'll pick her up tomorrow morning! See you all later!"

"Bye bye!" Karlee called from the upstairs, "Wait Axel!" she cried, "I said _I_ was going to be blue ranger!"

"Bye!" Armin called out from his parlor, "Have fun you two!"

"Fun?" Mikasa asked, "What is he t-mmph!" Eren had his hand pressed over her mouth as he dragged his wife outside the Arlelt residence. Outside she shoved him off and quickly walked over to their car.

A few minutes later, they both were driving home and Mikasa glowered out the window, blatantly ignoring her husband.

Eren gulped, "Are you gonna be mad at me for the rest of the day?"

"Why did you insist on having Karlee sleep over at Armin's?" Mikasa asked, ignoring his question.

"I have my reasons…But why are you even mad? Aren't you the one who's always telling me not to hover over her?"

Mikasa clicked her tongue, "I don't like the idea of Annie watching her…"

Eren rolled his eyes and turned his eyes back to the road, "Armin and I keep telling you guys to get over…_whatever the heck it is_ you both have."

"I still don't see why you gave our daughter away."

"Oi," Eren growled, "I didn't fucking giving anything away. Armin. Is. Watching. Her. Only. For. One. Goddamn. Day," he bit out.

"Whatever…" Mikasa muttered.

Eren sighed and gave up. He figured that it'd be best to just let her in on his surprise because at this rate, there'd be no way he'd get her out of the house.

"Happy anniversary," he said.

Mikasa froze for a second, before sighing, "Happy anniversary to you too Eren…"

"What, did you forget?"

"Of course not."

"Then why did it take you all day to say it to me?"

"Because by the time I got out of bed this morning, you had our daughter's bags packed and demanded that she sleep at Armin's house tonight."

"And what reason would I have for getting our daughter out of the house on the night of our anniversary?"

Immediately, Mikasa blushed bright red and Eren began sputtering, "NO! WAIT! IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK! I'M TAKING YOU OUT FOR DINNER! I SWEAR! JUST DINNER! THAT'S WHY I ASKED ARMIN TO WATCH KARLEE TONIGHT! SO QUIT FREAKING BLUSHING, MIKASA!"

A few embarrassed seconds passed before she smiled thoughtfully and said, "Oh…thank you."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Later that night, Eren pressed his tongue into Mikasa's mouth as his hand ran under her dress and up her thigh.

She nearly broke his belt buckle off before whispering out, "I thought-"a gasp "we were just going to have dinner." Eren pulled down her zipper and bit her lip to shut her up and she wriggled her hand into his boxers.

And at that moment, they both gave a silent thanks to their pal Armin.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

**Bowchickawowow. Up next will be a prequel detailing how Eren popped the question.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay with this chapter. School just restarted for me and I was hit with a major case of writer's block. But thankfully I got some ideas down for another chapter. ^^**

**Reviews are much appreciated as always.**

**ALSO THE PREQUEL IS STILL IN WORKS. (I just got to this before it)**

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Sit still," Mikasa hissed.

Eren glanced quickly to where his wife was sitting, right next to him, and forced himself to calm down. But to both their dismays, he began shaking and fidgeting seconds later. Mikasa sighed and placed her hand on the small of his back.

"Why am I the one comforting you right now?" she asked.

Eren scowled at her and looked away, "Sorry if I'm not as coolheaded as you…"

Mikasa smirked at that and said nothing more, and they both sat quietly, waiting for their names to be called. Though she kept her front cool, her heart was beating erratically and she felt cold sweat break out all over her body.

Soon enough a voiced called, "Mr. and Mrs. Yeager?", and they both stood up.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

**The Day Before**

It had been a simple family dinner, composed of Karlee playing with her food, Eren talking far too loud and Mikasa telling them both to mind their manners. Sure enough, the two of them ignored her, and went on with their commotion.

Mikasa sighed and rubbed mashed peas off her daughters face while she told Eren, once again, to not speak with his mouth full.

"Geesh," he grumbled, in between bites, "Wha dosh it mattuh?"

"You're too old to still talk with your mouth full Eren," she countered.

Eren rolled his eyes at her as Karlee spooned herself an oversized amount of.

"I wannuh be lie Daddy!" she cried, laughing and spilling food from her mouth.

"Hell yuh yoo do!" Eren cheered with his mouth still full as he high-fived the toddler over the table.

Mikasa kicked him right away, and soon he began choking. She ignored him for about three seconds, before her natural instincts kicked in and she began slapping him on the back.

Soon enough, Eren's throat was clear and he was rubbing his neck and grimacing.

"What was that for?!" he growled.

"I told you not to curse in front of her," Mikasa said coolly.

"It was an accident!"

"It's always 'an accident' with you."

"Give me a break…"

"Never."

At that, the two turned towards the sound of their daughter's laughter and raised their eyebrows at her.

"What's so funny?" Eren asked.

"I think it's funny when Mommy yells at Daddy," Karlee said.

"Mommy doesn't find it funny," Mikasa said darkly.

Eren glared at her, "Neither does Daddy."

The two stared each other down before they heard their daughter beginning to giggle again. Calling a silent truce, they both turned back to their plates. The peace lasted for a few minutes before Mikasa cleared her throat. Two interested faces turned towards her and she took a deep breath.

"I haven't been feeling too well these last few weeks, so I went to the store to buy a test and…and I think we're going to have another baby," she said calmly.

Eren shrieked and fell on the floor while Karlee gasped, eyes shining.

"REALLY MOMMY?" she cried.

"I think so."

"WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BABY?!"

"I think so."

Karlee turned towards her father, who was sprawled out on the floor, "DID YOU HEAR THAT DADDY?! A BABY!"

Eren slowly sat up, eyes wide, and turned towards his wife.

"Another?"

Mikasa nodded.

"But…when?"

"Probably a gift from our anniversary."

Eren looked absolutely terrified, and Mikasa couldn't help but feel annoyed, "If you didn't want another baby then you should have used a con-" she caught herself and quickly glanced at her four year old, "…Protection. You should have used protection."

"What's that Mom-"

"NOTHING!" Eren and Mikasa both yelled.

Eren noticed Mikasa's frown at him and scratched the back of his head, "Oi, it's not about me not wanting another kid, so quit glaring."

Mikasa simply raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? Then what's the matter, Eren?"

He turned his gaze up to the roof, "I dunno…I guess I'm surprised, that's all."

He shifted his gaze towards her and unintentionally gave her a bright and charismatic smile, "To be honest, I'd love nothing more than to have another child with you."

Mikasa flinched as she felt her face burn and chest tighten. She quickly turned her face back to her plate as she was one again reminded of why she willingly put up with all his chaos. She hoped the he didn't notice the redness in her cheeks and began eating her food again.

Eren smirked at her and asked, "What? Are you embarrassed?"

Before Mikasa could make a retort, Karlee answered, "Hell yeah she is!"

Eren barely had time to jump out of his chair and make a mad dash upstairs when Mikasa growled and jumped over the table to kick him again.

In the distance, their toddler's laughter could be heard.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Armin, Karlee and his sons had been watching TV when a knock sounded on his door. Before he could rise to get it, his three sons ran towards it.

"I'll get it!" Gregor cried.

"You got it last time!" Kurt yelled.

"Mommy said not to open the door without her or Daddy," Axel added.

"Well Mommy's not here, is she?" Gregor asked.

Two pairs of blue eyes looked around, "Nope!"

Just as Gregor's tiny hand reached for the doorknob, all three boys felt a chill behind them.

"What do you think you're doing?" Annie asked menacingly.

Slowly the boys turned their head towards their mother and were met with a frighteningly scary look on her face. Kurt immediately began to tear up, Gregor gulped audibly, and Axel deadpanned as usual. Easily, Annie swept all three of her sons under her arms and turned towards her husband.

"I'll put these troublemakers to bed," she turned towards the little girl, "Goodbye Karlee."

"Bye bye Auntie Annie!" she toddler replied enthusiastically. She then grabbed Armin's hand and practically dragged him to the door.

He couldn't help but notice that she was even stronger than children twice her age, and worried over what sorts of troubles she would get into in the future. At the door, he opened to the familiar faces of his two childhood friends and smiled.

"You two finished early tonight, huh?" he teased.

They both blushed simultaneously and while Mikasa shook her head and walked in, Eren punched him in the shoulder before saying, "I didn't leave her with you for that reason, you jerk!"

Armin laughed, "Then what did you guys need me for tonight?"

Mikasa turned towards him, face glowing, and said, "We just went to the doctor's and got some great news."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Mikasa Ackerman was a woman confident in her abilities. No matter how many cruel twists life threw at her or how many new situations she had to deal with, she was always able to overcome those battles. But few things were harder for her, than horror known as _shopping with Eren and Karlee at the same time._

Every single time it happened, the two of them would always run around the store, playing games, causing trouble and asking her to buy unnecessary things. Once a game of hide and seek gone wrong had caused an entire apple stand to tip over and all three of them were asked to leave the supermarket. To this day, Eren and Karlee still fight over just whose fault it was for knocking the crate of fruit over.

"Mommy!" a voice cried, "Daddy said to ask you if we could buy cookies."

"Go put those back. I told you not to pick anything."

The toddler pouted, "But I…I mean Daddy said he really wanted them."

Mikasa didn't miss a beat, "Tell Daddy maybe next time."

The four year old sighed as she placed the bag back on the shelf, "Daddy's gonna be really sad though…"

"He'll put up with it," Mikasa said, "Where is he anyway?"

Right on cue, a familiar voice cried out, "Oi Mikasa! Can we get some ice cream? For Karlee of course!"

Mikasa didn't even turn around when she yelled out, "No! Now put it back!"

She heard him sigh and walk away before walking up to her a few minutes later. He knew better than to argue with her in public and sulked at the ground, "It's just ice cream…"

"We already bought doughnuts and a cake."

"But they're not even for us!" he complained.

Mikasa sighed, "I know…"

After the two of them had announced their second pregnancy, with the aide of Karlee running around and screaming, "MOMMY AND DADDY ARE GONNA HAVE A BABY!", Sasha had immediately declared that they needed to throw a dinner party.

Eren and Mikasa had initially been against the idea, but by the time they had meant to tell her no, Sasha had already mass texted everyone: **BABY CELEBRATION DINNER EREN AND MIKASA'S PLACE THIS SATURDAY. 7PM. BRING FOOD AND GIFTS. PREFERABLY FOOD.**

Before they had even managed to let everyone know it was a false alarm, their phones had blown up.

_Armin:_

_I can bring the boys right?_

_Jean:_

_You're lucky a beautiful girl like Mikasa's willing to have your kids, Yeager._

…_Btw, do you guys like red or white wine? Actually, Mikasa can't drink anymore. Never mind on the wine. _

_Jean:_

_Congratulations of your pregnancy Mikasa! I'm sure you'll make a great mother (again)_

_Marco: _

_Congrats! Jean and I will take the day off!_

_Reiner: _

_Do I have to bring a gift? Food should be fine enough right? I'll bring the beer._

_Bertholdt:_

_What are your favorite foods again? And ignore Reiner's text, we're gonna bring wine instead._

_Annie:_

_Okay. _

"Damn that Sasha…" Eren grumbled.

Mikasa shrugged her shoulders and pushed the cart forward, "Things like these are fine once in a while."

"I still don't see why we have to make all the food though."

"Eren. It's _our_ dinner party."

"Tch! Sasha told everyone else to bring food."'

"We're the hosts, Eren. We have to, so stop complaining."

He rolled his eyes, and walked on with his family, hoping the party would be a calm one.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

The night ended up being anything _but _calm.

Light rain pattered as Eren looked out the window. He saw the last of the police cars back out of his driveway before turning to his wife, who had her face buried in her palms. He had a feeling she wouldn't come out of there for a long time. Eren turned towards the last two guests, Jean and Marco, whom was unconscious as Jean dragged him out the, and sighed.

Never again was he inviting all his friends over on the same night he thought, as he tiredly recalled the day's events.

**6 hours earlier **

It was raining heavliy outside while Mikasa was placing the last of the table settings, and Eren was upstairs bathing Karlee, when they heard a knock on their door.

"I got it," she called out, before making her way over.

She opened the door to the familiar sight of Armin, Annie and their sons. The boys ran inside screaming, "Karleeeeee!" while their parents stopped in the living room.

"You're early," Mikasa said.

Armin shrugged and smiled, "I thought I could help you guys get ready?"

Mikasa smiled back at him and then warily eyed Annie, who was walking into the kitchen.

"Do you need something?' she asked.

Annie ignored her and opened the fridge.

"Do you need something?" Mikasa asked again, growing irritated.

Annie smirked at her and shook her head, "No…Just wondering what food you had."

"…The food's on the table."

"Oh really? I couldn't tell," Annie said, but by the glint in her eyes, Mikasa could tell she was mocking her.

Armin slowly backed away from the soon-to-be passive aggressive argument and bumped into something. He looked down and met a pair of shining eyes.

"Uncle Armin!" Karlee cheered as she hugged his legs, with nothing but a towel wrapped around herself.

He ruffled her wet hair and lifted her up in the air, "Have you been okay?"

She nodded her head, "Yup!"

"Has Daddy been giving Mommy trouble still?"

"Yup!" she repeated, nodding her head even harder.

At that moment, Armin felt a fist hit his back, and he stumbled forward.

"I heard that you bastard…" Eren muttered.

Armin smiled sheepishly and raised a hand in surrender.

There was another knock on the door and Annie went to go answer it. At the door was Sasha, Connie, Jean and Marco. The four of them came in donning huge raincoats and shaking raindrops off themselves as all the kids ran to go greet and hug them.

Marco and Connie were talking animatedly with the boys, Sasha walked of in search of food, while Jean knelt down in front of Karlee and pinched her nose.

"I see you're still as cute as ever."

The four year old beamed, "Thank you! Guess what, Uncle Jean? The other day when Daddy picked me up from school the other day, my teacher, Mrs. Ral, said I look more and more like him each day!"

Jean's eyebrow twitched, "Forget that guy. Try and be like your mother, okay?"

Karlee cocked her head to the side in confusion at the same moment her father kicked Jean to the floor from behind.

"What the hell Yeager?!" Jean cried, landing on his ass.

"First Armin and now you?" Eren snapped, "What is this? Shit on Eren day?"

"Shit on Eren day?" Karlee repeated, "What's that? A holiday? Do I get school off?"

Eren shivered as he felt Mikasa's cold glare from behind his back. Jean watched in unhidden amusement as Mikasa grabbed her husband's shoulder and said, "We need to talk," before dragging him up the stairs. Jean could see the dread on Eren's face and the moment they made eye contact, he couldn't help but stick his tongue out at him.

Eren snapped, broke free from Mikasa's grasp and stormed over, "I'LL KILL YOU" he screamed.

Jean grinned and turned his neck to the side, "What is it Eren?"

But before Eren could reply, Mikasa grabbed him by the collar, threw him over her shoulder, and loudly stormed up the stairs.

Soon enough Reiner, Bert, Christa and Ymir arrived and the dinner was in full swing. It was an animated table, with at least three different conversations going on at at time. The discussions ranged from, "Congratulations Mikasa!" to "Sasha, you can't eat all the stuffing yourself" to "Jean, stop picking fights."

Two hours passed by, the kids were put to bed, and Ymir held a bottle of Bert's wine in the air.

"Now the real party starts!" she cheered.

Connie, Jean, Reiner and Sasha cheered while everyone else in the room groaned.

"Mikasa can't drink wine," Armin interjected.

"I'm sure she doesn't mind if we do!" Reiner yelled.

All eyes turned towards her and she shrugged her shoulders, "I'm fine with it. I'm about to go to bed anyway."

Half the room cheered and the other half sighed as wine glasses were passed around. Ymir held her glass up in the air, "To the baby!"

"To the baby!" they all called.

After Mikasa went upstairs, everyone downed their drinks. Among the festivities, one glass turned to several and soon everyone in the room was hammered. Awoken by all the noise, Mikasa warily came down the stairs.

She frowned as she looked around, "You've all had too much…"

By then the rain had turned to thunder and the sound of heavy downpour sounded throughout the room. Mikasa eyed all occupants in the room and just how she would settle them all down. Reiner, and Sasha were having a food eating contest, and by the looks of it, the latter was winning with ease. Marco wobbled off to find the bathroom. Eren and Jean were arguing over something stupid as usual while Christa and Armin kept whispering and laughing loudly over some picture on Christa's phone. Mikasa turned her head to find Annie completely zonked out on the couch while Connie and Bert concentrated on drawing a smiling penis on her forehead.

She sighed and rubbed her forehead as a huge crack of lighting struck and all the lights in the house cut off. Immediately it turned pitch black and the sound of crying children came from upstairs. Haphazardly, everyone stood up and moved around.

"Mommy!" a voice cried.

Mikasa and Annie made their way up the stairs when suddenly there was a sound of the back door being smashed open. Every occupant in the house froze in a mixture of fear and surprise.

"What the hell was that?" Eren whispered.

Annie sprinted up the stairs, "I'll get the kids."

Mikasa made her way down the stairs and cracked her knuckles, "I'll go see what that was."

"WAIT!" Eren and Jean called out.

"Oi Mikasa! Don't fucking go out there by yourself!"

"He's right," Jean added, "You're in no condition to get attacked."

She clicked her tongue and continued walking, "I can handle it."

"_There's no way I'll let someone hurt my family…Never again" _she thought resolutely.

"I'll call the police," Armin said, reaching for his phone.

"Everyone stay where you are," Reiner said, "I've got this."

There was a sound of moaning and stumbling coming from the back, and everyone in the living room cautiously moved towards it. Jean grabbed a broom, and Mikasa and Reiner held their fists up in defense. It was hard so see in the dark, but soon they came upon the silhouette of the intruder.

"Who's there?" Eren called.

"Before you do anything rash, we called the police and there's ten of us and one of you. Just surrender and you won't be punished too badly," Armin reasoned.

The figure swayed and lurched forward and the group all reacted at once. Reiner landed a square punch to his chest, Jean stabbed the broom end into his gut and Mikasa sealed the deal with a swift roundhouse kick to his face.

The man wheezed loudly before crumbling onto the floor. Just then lighting struck again and in its flashes, everyone could make out Marco's pale and bloodied face.

**1 hour later**

The rain had let up and the power company got the lights back on just as the police pulled up in the driveway. It had taken a lot of explanation on Armin's part to convince them nothing was wrong.

"Are you sure he's the one who broke the door open?" the policeman asked.

"Yes sir," Armin said, "We all had a bit too much to drink and then lights went out. He went to the bathroom and was probably trying to find his way around the house but was so drunk he kicked the door out…"

"And you all attacked him?"

"Um…yes…It was dark and we couldn't see him, so we all assumed the worst and attacked."

At that, the two of turned towards Marco's bleeding and unconscious form on the couch.

The cop looked at Armin, "Do things normally get this hectic between you guys?"

Armin rubbed the back of his head, "When there're enough of us gathered unfortunately."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

**I've been thinking about this fic and I can take it one of two ways, A) Ending it in around 7 or 8 chapters with Eren and Mikasa being cute with their kids or B) Having it be a long multi-chaptered fic [20+ chapters] watching Karlee and her soon to be sibling as they grow up.**

**Let me know which one you'd prefer with your review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the lateness, school had been awful. Here's a long chapter to make up for that! It also seems that most people wanted a longer story that was ALSO more EreMika focused, and if the people ask, I shall deliver. ^^**

**Please enjoy and sorry for any mistakes, I couldn't get a beta for this in time.**

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

It was a rare moment in the Yeager household. So rare, that even Karlee was surprised at it. Never in her five short years of living, had she ever seen something like this happen.

Mommy and Daddy had…_agreed on something._

It had all started earlier that day at school. Her teacher, Mrs. Ral, announced that there would be no school the coming Friday. All the kids started cheering as she passed out a slip of paper to each one of them.

"Why?" a boy asked.

"Because this Friday," she handed the last piece of paper out, "Is Take Your Kid To Work Day!"

When Eren picked Karlee up from school later that day, she had told him the news and went on and on about how excited she was to see his office. She didn't notice the anxious look on his face until he flat out said, "I don't think that's a good idea…"

She had paused, eyes wide. It was unusual for her father to deny her of something.

"But why?" she asked, voice already shaking.

Eren kept his eyes on the road and sighed, "The people I work with are…special."

"I like special people!" Karlee cried.

"Not the good kind. I mean I love those guys but…Yeah, there's no way they're meeting you," he said resolutely.

Karlee began to whine and complain, and didn't even stop when she was offered ice cream. When they got home, she pouted, looked away from him when he unbuckled her booster seat, and briskly walked up to the front door.

When both walked inside she screamed, "MOOOOMMY!"

Immediately Mikasa came sprinting down the stairs, hair soapy and in a towel.

"What's wrong?!" she asked.

Eren rolled his eyes, "Ignore her, it's nothing. Anyway, what the hell do you think you're doing running around when you're seven months pregnant? Didn't we talk about this the first time around?!"

Mikasa disregarded him and turned towards her daughter, "Why did you yell like that?"

Karlee's eyes began to tear up, "Because this Friday is Bring Your Kid To Work Day and Daddy said that I can't go!"

Mikasa paused for a moment and then sighed in relief, "Good."

The five year old blinked in surprise. Whenever one of her parents, her mother most of the time, said no to her, she would always go to the other one to help convince them.

Mikasa began walking up the stairs, "It's okay Karlee. You don't want to meet the kind of people Daddy works with anyway."

Eren glared at her, "Watch it."

Mikasa was not the least bit intimidated, "And if I don't?"

He scowled at her before turning away and proclaimed, "Now that I think about it…Maybe I _will_ bring her with me."

Immediately Mikasa flinched and looked alarmed, "That's not funny, Eren!"

"Who says I'm joking?" he countered.

He walked over to Karlee, lifted her up, and asked, "If I bring you, do you promise to behave?"

Karlee's eyes shined and she beamed, "Yes! I promise!"

"No!" Mikasa yelled, "You don't!"

Karlee didn't even look at her mother, "I'm so excited Daddy!"

She wrapped her arms around Eren's neck and didn't see the smug look her gave Mikasa. Or the murderous one Mikasa shot back at him.

"It's decided then!" Eren announced, "That is…if Mommy lets us."

Karlee gave her mother her best puppy eyes and cheered when she heard her grumble, "Fine…"

Mikasa rubbed her forehead, "But-"

Eren and Karlee looked over at her and gulped.

"-she stays away from Levi. At **all **times."

Eren nodded his head as Karlee asked, "Who's that?"

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

That Friday had soon come, and Karlee was thrilled. Mikasa had woken her up, got her ready, and repeatedly told her, "Stay with Daddy at all times. And don't talk to anyone weird…Or anyone at all. Especially if they're short and scary looking."

Soon Eren and his daughter were out the door, hand in hand. They had stopped for donuts, remembering to buy Mikasa some, and spent the entire ride talking about what they would do.

"I'll let you meet everyone," he told her.

Karlee nodded, "Yay! I can't wait to talk to all your work friends, Daddy!"

Eren gave her a look, "I said meet. Not talk to."

Karlee cocked her head to the side, "What's the difference?"

Eren turned his eyes back to the road and said, "I can't describe it, but trust me. There is."

When they pulled up to the office building, Karlee managed to unbuckle herself and sprinted out the door of the car. Eren went after her, yelling, "I thought you said you'd behave!", and to his horror, she ran into the building all alone.

Realizing that one of his many erratic coworkers could be at the door, Eren ran even faster and practically burst through it.

"KARLEE!" he shouted, "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

'_Mikasa will kill me,'_ he thought.

"I'm over here Daddy!" she called.

Eren sighed in relief and turned toward her voice, before freezing at what he saw. Hanji, of all people, was holding his daughter in her arms. They both were speaking animatedly, but suddenly Hanji threw Karlee up over ten feet in the air.

Both Eren and Karlee screamed, but hers was from delight while his was from horror. Hanji easily caught Karlee and threw her up again, _even higher._

Eren ran over, screaming, "No! Hanji! No! Stop!"

Hanji caught Karlee again and turned towards him, "Oh it's you Eren! What's wrong?"

Eren came stop and wiped his forehead, "What's wrong…", he paused to catch his breath, "…is that you're…", he lost his breath again, "…tossing my daughter in the air…like a damn ragdoll!"

Hanji gasped and looked at Karlee, "Is this your kid you're always talking about?! The one you won't let us meet? Woah! Now that I look at her, she looks just like you!"

Eren grimaced, "…Thanks."

"What's your name, cutie?" Hanji asked.

The five year old giggled, "It's Karlee."

"That's pretty! Who came up with it?"

Karlee shrugged her shoulders, "…I don't know."

"You don't?!" Hanji exclaimed.

Karlee frowned, "…No. Is that bad?"

Hanji shook her head, "Nah! Not at all! With a pretty face like yours, you can get away with not knowing things for the rest of your life!"

Karlee asked, "Huh?" just as her father cried, "Please don't say things like that to her Hanji!"

Suddenly a voice from behind called, "Hey Yeager! Your client's here! Get to work!"

Eren flinched and went over to get Karlee, but Hanji moved the girl out of his reach.

"You're meeting with a client this morning, Eren," she said, "I'll watch her while you do."

Eren shook his head and reached for Karlee again, "No it's fine. I'll manage."

Hanji shook her head back at him, "Not when your first client is a six foot tall former bodybuilder, who recently lost tens of thousands in his investment with our company."

Eren froze, eyes wide, "…Shit."

Hanji smiled at him, "He's not the kind of person you should keep waiting! Don't worry, I'll keep her with me until you're done!"

He sighed in defeat and hung his head, "Please keep her safe. You don't know what my wife will to do me if anything happens."

Hanji laughed and playfully, yet painfully, smacked him on the back, "You can trust me!"

'_Can I?' _Eren wondered.

He walked away after waving Karlee goodbye. Hanji walked toward the office, carrying Karlee on her shoulders, when someone called her name. She turned over and smiled at the familiar face.

"What's up, Erwin?"

"...Hanji. Why do you have a child with you?" he asked.

"Because it's Bring Your Kid to Work Day!"

Erwin went on, "You don't have kids."

Hanji glared at him, "You don't know that!"

Erwin was more than used to her theatrics, "Yes I do. You live with Levi and I."

Hanji laughed, "You caught me! This is Eren's kid!"

Erwin frowned, "Eren's? The one he won't let us meet?"

Hanji nodded and Erwin moved up for a closer look.

"Hmm," he said, "I see the resemblance."

"Adorable ain't she? I totally get to have her for the next two hours!" Hanji said.

Erwin shook his head, "No you don't. We both have meeting downtown this morning, remember?"

Hanji gasped and fell to her knees, careful to make sure Karlee didn't fall, before crying, "Nooooooooo! Just when I finally get to meet the kid too!"

Erwin pulled her up and said, "At any rate, you need to return her to him."

Hanji shook her head, "No can do. He's meeting with a pretty threatening customer right now and that's no environment for a little girl."

Erwin frowned at her again, "Then what do you suppose we do?"

Hanji sighed, "We'll have to leave her with _him_ I guess."

"No," Erwin said, "Eren's wife hates him and will kill us if she finds out we left her daughter with him."

Hanji smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder, "That's where you're wrong, Erwin. We're not the ones who'll deal with the fearsome wrath that is Mikasa. The one who will-"

Erwin raised his eyebrows in realization.

"-is Eren."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Karlee openly gazed at the short, angry looking man that was clicking away on his computer. When Hanji had dropped her off to him, he had complained about watching over 'some damn kid', but ended up relenting. After Hanji left the room, he turned to Karlee and told her, "Don't make a mess", before turning back to his work.

For the first few minutes, Karlee had watched him, unsure of how to deal with someone of his sorts. But even though his face looked scary, there was something about him that told her he was a nice guy, and she decided to talk to him.

"Hi!" she proclaimed loudly.

The man looked over at her, but didn't say anything. The two eyed each other for a few seconds, before he turned back to his computer.

The toddler wasn't the slightest bit deterred and repeated, "Hi!" even louder.

His eyebrows twitched and he turned towards her, "I heard you the first time."

She frowned, "Then why didn't you say anything?"

"…Do you need something?"

"Hmm…Tell me your name!"

"..Levi."

"Levi? That's cool! My name is-"

"I don't care."

Levi couldn't help but smirk slightly at the affronted gasp he heard from the toddler. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her cross her arms and scowl at the floor.

"…You're mean…" she muttered.

"You're not the first person to say that to me."

She looked to the side, a bit unsure of what to say, "Well you don't have to be a meanie!"

"And I don't have to deal with shitty brats like you. But I'm doing it anyway," he responded casually.

"A what like me?" she asked curiously.

Levi flinched and mentally scolded himself for cursing in front of a child, "Nothing. Forget what I said right now, kid."

Karlee grinned, "I will if you say sorry to me!"

A vein popped in his forehead and he turned towards her, "Do you always give your parents this much trouble? I've never met a child as ill-behaved as you."

Immediately the five year old gasped again, and her eyes began to tear up. Levi groaned at the idea of having to deal with a crying child, but his worries were soon dispelled when the toddler, in an amazing show of strength, leapt off her rolling chair and _lifted it up in the air._

He was _certain_ that it weighed more than her.

"Take that back!" she yelled, and though Levi was more shocked than frightened, he couldn't help but gape wordlessly at the sight.

Suddenly the door opened and Eren awkwardly shuffled into the room.

"B-boss…" he muttered nervously, prying the chair out of Karlee's hands, like it was an everyday occurrence.

"Is this your kid, Yeager?"

Eren flinched and stood up straight, "Y-yes sir!"

Side by side, Levi could see the obvious resemblance, and from the few memories he had of meeting Eren's wife, he wasn't surprised at how…_eccentric_ their daughter was. It definitely explained the freakish strength.

"You need to teach her how to respect her elders," he said.

Eren sighed and grasped his daughter's hand, "We're working on it."

"Try and harder. Now get out, you're both giving me a headache."

Eren didn't need to be told twice, and he practically sprinted out of the office.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

On the drive home, Eren noticed how uncharacteristically quiet Karlee was being. There was no loud questions, pleading for ice cream, or screaming about why they needed to visit the park before going home. The entire ride she sat quietly in her booster seat with a look of strained concentration on her face.

"Is something wrong, kiddo?" Eren asked.

A few second passed, before she replied, "Am I ill-behaved?"

Eren blinked in surprised and wondered where the hell that came from. Realizing that it was probably something Levi said, he pondered over just how to reply to that. '_What would Mikasa say?' _he thought.

"You're a good kid," he started, "but you need to listen to your mother more often."

"But Mommy has so many rules," she whined.

Eren snorted, "I understand how _that_ feels. But she makes so many rules because she loves us and wants us to be alright. Okay?"

Karlee smiled, "Okay…but then how come you always fight with Mommy about the rules?"

Eren pretended not to hear that question and, and spent the entire ride home ignoring when the toddler kept repeating it.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Later that night at dinner, both her parents were surprised when Karlee randomly announced, "I want to go to bed right after I eat!"

Mikasa glanced at the clock and it read 8:30. Immediately her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because Mommy doesn't like chasing me every day before bed."

Mikasa was still apprehensive, "If you know I don't like chasing you, then why do you keep running around each night?"

The five year old puffed her chest out and declared, "Because it's fun."

Mikasa face-palmed and Eren choked on his food laughing.

"At least you promise to stop. Why the change though?" she asked her daughter.

"I met someone at Daddy's work today and he called me ill-behaved."

"Someone said that to you?" Mikasa asked, frowning. She saw Eren gulp nervously.

Karlee nodded, "Yeah. It was some mister that Daddy called boss."

Mikasa scowled, "Was he short and mean looking?"

Karlee gasped, "Yes! How did you know?!"

"I thought I told you not to talk to him," Mikasa sighed, "Never mind it. Of course he'd berate a child. Don't talk to him anymore Karlee. I don't trust that man."

"Oi Mikasa! Don't badmouth my boss in front of her!" Eren growled.

Mikasa barely even glanced at him, "Your boss," she paused for dramatic effect, "is an irksome shorty who's going to get punched one day."

Eren glared at her from across the table and Mikasa did not back down. Suddenly Karlee gasped and said, "Oh! He's the man you told me not to talk to, Mommy!"

Mikasa looked wearily at her.

Karlee gave her mother a confused look, "Why don't you like him? I do!"

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Shh…It's okay Karlee, don't cry," Armin whispered, stroking her hair.

The five year old nodded, sniffing her nose, as she buried her face into her uncle's shoulder. All around them they both could hear the footsteps and words of various doctors and nurses. Even though he told her not to worry, Karlee could feel the nervous tension within his body.

The day had been an strange one, starting when Armin, of all people, picked her up for school. Karlee had been excited at his unexpected appearance, but during the car ride, she noticed them taking an unfamiliar direction.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Armin bit his lip, wondering if he should day anything, but relented, "We're going to go see your mother in the hospital…"

"Mommy?" she gasped, "Why?! Is the baby coming?!"

Armin didn't say anything, but Karlee noticed the grim look on his face. She wondered why he looked upset. Weren't people supposed to be happy about having babies? When they were pulling up to the hospital, it hit her.

"Wait!" she cried, "Yesterday Daddy said Mommy was gonna have the baby in 2 months!"

Armin's eyes widened and he looked away, "…That was the plan."

"The plan?!" Karlee cried, "If that's the plan then why is she having it now?!"

Armin stayed silent as he picked her up. The child kept asking him why, near to the point of tears, but he couldn't bring himself to answer. He walked up, signed in with the receptionist, and walked to the waiting room.

By then Karlee knew he wasn't going to answer any of her questions, and solemnly sat on his lap as time went by. With each passing minute, she felt him grow more and more tense.

She hadn't seen her parents at all and had no idea if they were okay. She worried for her mother, her father, her little brother or sister. Loneliness grew inside her and she wondered if she would ever see any of them.

Just when she got the courage to ask her questions again, a familiar person caught her eye.

"Daddy…" she whispered. Immediately, she jumped of Armin's lap and ran to her father, before stopping half way.

Never before had she seen her dad like this. His eyes were wide and panicked, shoulders hunched, and cheeks wet. He looked so utterly distraught that it made Karlee freeze in place, unsure how to process the sight. She heard Armin yell, "Eren!" and watched him run towards her father.

Armin grabbed Eren's shoulders and shook him, "Is Mikasa okay?!"

Eren jumped at Armin's touch, and tried to answer. But his throat was choked tight and all he could do was shrug.

"Is she still in surgery?" Armin asked.

Eren bit his lip and nodded his head. Karlee saw his fists shaking.

"Calm down, Eren," Armin said, "Now's not the time to get worked.

Eren's voice was hoarse and shaken, "I-I know…"

Armin sat him down, "Do you know what they're doing?"

"Emergency C-Section I think…" Eren whispered.

"C-Section? The fall was that bad?"

Eren nodded his head and started shaking all over. Armin slowly began rubbing his back.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine. It's going to take something _a lot worse _than a fall to get Mikasa," he assured.

Eren buried his face in his hands, "But the baby…"

"Will be fine, Eren," Armin said, "It'll probably need some weeks in the NICU, but it'll survive and grow up healthy. I promise you. Have faith."

Eren took a deep, shuddering breath, "Yeah…"

Armin looked over to Karlee, who was standing to the side, her face frightened. He smiled warmly at her and motioned for her to come over.

"Don't forget about a certain someone, Eren," he said.

Eren looked up and gasped when he saw his daughter. The very next moment, he flew out of his chair and wrapped her up in a tight hug.

"Karlee..." he murmured, squeezing her small body.

The five year old felt tears pooling in her eyes, "Yeah daddy?"

"How did you get here?"

Her voice was tight and words stammered, "U-Uncle Armin b-brought me."

Eren buried he face her hair and breathed in. The familiar scent relaxed his building stress, and at that moment, he was painfully and honestly reminded of just how much he loved his daughter. Loved his wife.

Loved his soon to be born child.

Karlee shifted under his firm hold and asked, "What happened to Mommy?"

"She fell down the stairs," he answered gravely.

Karlee gasped, "The stairs?! When?!"

"When I was on my way to work, after dropping you off, she called me and told me."

Karlee looked into her father's eyes, "And you went and got her right?"

Eren chuckled and kissed her forehead, "Of course I did, sweetie."

He lifted her in his arms, stood up, and turned towards Armin, "Thank for remembering and getting her for me. Sorry I'm so incompetent."

Armin shook his head, "You're not. Anyone in the situation would've been preoccupied with worry."

"Good thing you're on her school emergency contact list," Eren said smiling faintly, "But thanks really. For everything."

Armin shook his head and walked over, "It's nothing."

He pulled Karlee out of Eren arms and looked him in the eye, "I'll watch Karlee. Right now you need to go be with Mikasa okay?"

Eren nodded resolutely and kissed Karlee's head again before jogging off. The five year old watched her father's retreating back and waved a silent goodbye at it. He was gone just as quickly as he had come.

This time though, she noticed a certain spring in his steps.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Over three hours later, Karlee woke up from her nap. She blearily opened her eyes, and saw Armin softly smiling down at her. Unconsciously, she smiled back, reached out and stroked his cheek.

"Hi Uncle Armin…" she mumbled sleepily, "What are you doing in my room?"

Armin laughed, "That must have been one deep sleep, if it made you forget we're in the hospital."

The day's events all suddenly came to Karlee, crashing like rough waves on a calm ocean shore. Instantly her smile dropped, and the dread she had been feeling returned. Armin saw her face drop and patted her head.

"Hey now, no need to be sad. Look around!" he said.

"Huh?" Karlee asked, as she turned her head. They weren't in the waiting room anymore and instead were in a tiny room with TV and a bed. And in that bed was…

"Mommy!" she cried, jerking at the sight.

Mikasa turned and smiled tiredly at her daughter, giving a small wave. Armin walked the child over to the bed and gently placed her beside her mother.

"Try not to touch Mommy too much," he said, "She's still sensitive after her surgery."

Karlee nodded and studied Mikasa's face. Even with weary grey eyes, dry lips, mussed up hair and dark circles, she had never remembered her mother looking more beautiful. Anxiously, she touched her mom's forehead and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Mikasa weakly shook her head, "Don't worry, sweetheart. You're not hurting me."

Karlee shook her head, "No. I mean does _it _hurt."

Mikasa realized what she meant and smiled softly, "A little bit. But Mommy will be fine soon…Hey now…Don't start crying."

The child sniffed and murmured, "I can't help it, Mommy. I thought you were," her voice broke, "…going to go away…"

Mikasa's eyes watered and she laid her daughter's head on her chest, "Don't worry. I know how it feels for a mommy to suddenly disappear, and I would never put you through that."

All the tears Karlee had fought to keep back, for the sake of her dad and uncle, resurfaced and she soon began to weep.

Several minutes later, she calmed down, and was stroking her mother's hair when she heard a rolling sound. A man in a white coat came in the room, wheeling in what she thought looked like a big clear basket. Eren was right behind, and walked in. He took the incubator from the doctor and wheeled it over to where Mikasa and Karlee were laying. He beamed at the way their eyes widened at the tiny, pink baby inside it, and proudly whispered:

"Say hello to your little brother."


End file.
